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Wandering the Bookstore

Billy Collins, a distinguished professor of English at Lehman College (CUNY), served as poet laureate of the United States from 2001 to 2003. His latest collection of poetry is "Horoscopes for the Dead."

Updated April 10, 2014, 10:24 AM

Because I’m still an only child, I have trouble thinking deeply enough about other people to be any good at figuring out what they would like for a gift. Choosing a book for someone only heightens my feelings of deficiency because most books, at least the ones I would consider worth giving, are so much more complex and full of implication than a scarf or a pair of socks.

Shopping puts me in a bind. Browsing in a bookstore, I’m naturally drawn to books I find interesting. Of course, there’s no reason to assume that a friend or a cousin shares my interest, so that eliminates everything in the store that I find myself attracted to.

At that point, I make a weak attempt at empathy. “Oh, Harry would like this,” I think, picking up a book about baseball umpiring. No, Harry would not, I quickly realize, but why not buy it for myself?

A shameful last resort is giving someone a book only because I feel guilty about never having read it, which amounts to assigning others to do my reading for me — a little like teaching high school, only without the book report. And remember that no gift of a book comes free and clear, for each carries the expectation that the receiver will actually read the thing, and not just stick his present in the closet with his other sweaters. “What did you think of that incredible surprise ending?” the giver might surprise you by asking.

By the way, if anyone is wondering what book to get me for Christmas, or just anytime, I would love any of the Animal Series from Reaktion Books. You should know that I already have "Fox," "Hare" and "Snail." That way, you can’t go wrong.